How to Build a Large Bookcase | Plans

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks everyone for watching! Plans are up on my website www.almfab.com/plans/bookcase

[@lewiscantplay8639]

Awesome project. Im a beginner to wood working and was wandering how you figure out eh domino spacing. Did you do it with the hand cnc or measure each position?

[@changwookkim8265]

00

[@changwookkim8265]

00

[@changwookkim8265]

@@lewiscantplay8639 000000

[@changwookkim8265]

⁰

[@billturner4547]

You make this look so easy. Decent plans I modified for the space need to a corner 2 bay and separate 2 bay units, but 9' high floor to ceiling (44.5" and 40" wide). Looked perfect in my customers home when finished. It's a large build but the individual components for base/crown and separate bays made it just manageable for this 69-year-old woodworker. Buy the plans, they are well worth the investment.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks Bill! So glad they worked out!!

[@paulheitkemper1559]

Lots of good tips here for me to poach. I also love that you included those little doses of humanity that happened during the build. Great job all around.

[@MichaelAlm]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@DieCastoms]

It is really nice to see that the people one views as professionals and experts make just as many silly mistakes as the viewer. It shows that you don't need to be absolutely perfect to consider yourself good at what you do, because even the experts knock over half their shop, from time to time.

[@katzmosestools]

Really crushed this Michael! Gorgeous 😍

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks JKM!!!

[@marblemountainwoodworks8475]

I agree with JKM. Beautiful build! Not only that, the size of those sheet goods you had to wrangle in itself is most impressive 💪🏻

[@naterapp7881]

Building a bookcase can sound like a simple job, but your video showed all the detail and planning that goes into it. Great job, and thanks for sharing!

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you! 😅

[@taylorl5794]

I love watching these videos and discovering just how inefficient I am in the workshop. The idea of cutting the shelves to length with the nose already installed blew my mind. Simple, yet revolutionary! Nice job!

[@TheNavalspook]

Built your bookcase with my own spin on the plans, made it 4-bay rather than 3-bay. Turned out great, just finished today. Thanks! It will hold about 600 books by my guessitmate.

[@kzookid2051]

I love this! Almost four years ago I bought a 120-year-old house with a large window in the middle of the livingroom wall. I thought at the time it would be perfect with two bookcases up the sides and across the top of the window. I've toyed with different ideas of constructing this but never hit on a plan I really liked - until now. Thanks for both the video and the plans I will soon be getting. Awesome work!

[@GuitarFuYou]

Great video. Knocking stuff down and things falling over made this video VERY relate-able. Thanks!

[@michealwynter7131]

Great looking bookcase. Love your builds. Gotta say the Catherine Zeta Jones scene made me laugh out loud. Great movie.

[@MichaelAlm]

Hahaha! Thanks 😁

Loved the chaotic focused energy of this video 🤣 so many things falling! Also, this bookshelf is a DREAM, so beautiful

[@MichaelAlm]

😂 Thank you!

[@steveforbes7718]

The book shelves/cases of which I always dream! I have a friend who is a carpenter and has many of the tools you have. Maybe we can do this one together. To say the least, that is the most impressive set of shelves I have seen made on YT, bar none!

[@jorgearenas872]

Thanks for sharing this professionnal work... Really clean and sober... Greetings from Medellín, Colombia!!!!

[@MESTER47]

Great build, and a nice touch having the top crown covered for the dust not to go inside.

[@BoatswainHiggs]

Real nice not having the machines mixed at full volume. Thank you. Great build, too!

[@dannyhale7645]

Nice build. Those are some really beautiful bookcases. I love that sweet, old Dodge, too. I've been driving my '92 Dodge W150 Power Ram for almost 25 years. You can't kill those old Dodges.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks! Yeah my buddy just got that old dodge. Super handy to have in the neighborhood 😉

[@georgesatory7242]

Nice work. I plan to do similar thing in maple. Since it will be a permanent built-in I will probably use only 4 panels for the 3 cases with the inner ones serving both sides. Thanks for some very useful tips.

[@sallyking37]

Your attention to detail is awesome ... so enjoy watching you work!!

[@charleselkins4546]

The installed bookcase looks perfect for an art book collection. Well done.

[@jim7smith]

Love the modular design......although I likely will not ever move again myself, others might. Great looking shelf unit!

[@soundboy89]

OMG that cleat-as-a-clamping-surface trick is awesome!

[@TheVikingbk]

When I had the cabinetmaker do my library shelves I had him ad a small piece of angle iron underneath the front trim to stop any sagging for ever and ever. Invisible and works well.

[@lindacsmith13]

That is a great shelving unit. And Josh is a true friend!

[@SpencleyDesignCo]

Incredible work on this one, Michael!

[@wairarapahandyman]

It was a nice detail to grain match the panels after you cut the sheets and assembled the three separate pieces, nice touch. Great project. Got yourself a new sub.

[@MichaelAlm]

You caught that! Nice!! Thank you 😁

[@11211lcb]

Very Nice. I would suggest that you prefinish interior surfaces before assembly. This really makes finishing much easier and faster.

[@owenvanbruchem1863]

You can use the backpanle to square the whole thing. Still a good solution! Looks great!

[@MichaelAlm]

True! I just like to leave it up to make cleaning glue squeeze out easier

[@owenvanbruchem1863]

@@MichaelAlm oww thats smart too i always struggle with that 😄

[@gregorall9779]

Very nice! I appreciate your creativity in figuring out how to deal with certain aspects of the project. At the very end, when you're showing the bookcase, the gap between the case and the wall increases from floor to ceiling. Knowing the bookcase is square, I can only assume the wall is not 90% to the floor?

[@peterfitzpatrick7032]

I remember years ago, when I was just starting in hobby woodworking (I'm a machinist by trade & I deal in "thous" daily😉) I built a full height shelving unit for my sis... we carried it into the living room and were quite surprised when we couldnt stand it vertically !! 🙄😂😂 plinths became my best friend after that... 😕 My late father, a CABINETMAKER, was probably having a good laugh at me from up above... 😇

[@ryanmaly]

That's a beautiful bookcase! Excellent work. The simple crown adds so much to the look of the piece.

[@benmooreman]

Josh is a really good friend. I hope he gets a first-class meal or something nice for compensation.

[@f1rstclass289]

High quality custom craftsmanship and build. I love the fit and finish.

[@JamesWilliams-en3os]

Great build, I picked up a few good tips. Using your burnishing tool on the mitred plywood edges is brilliant!

[@thomashendricks9774]

I absolutely love this book case design, so thoughtful and beautiful.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks Thomas!

[@ericsimpson4045]

This shaper is so tempting🙈 and heres another thing you can do with it... great video again.

[@keithbailie3014]

Very slick! I don’t need a bookshelf but I now want to build one. :)

[@MichaelAlm]

Hahaha! Thanks 😁

[@granander]

Turned out fantastic! Simple, clean and yet interesting small features keeping it from being boring. I am a new fan for sure! Thank you for sharing!

[@jenniferbecnel439]

Nice bookcase. Great modular ideas, yet still looks like a single unit!

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you 😁

[@167curly]

A handsome project, Michael.

[@rwhite9994]

Love white oak also, especially here in west Virginia. But boy is it hard! I mean super hard.

[@MichaelAlm]

It’s impressively tough! Even as a veneer

[@phiteonn3541]

Stunning workmanship

[@GeeksWoodShop]

Haha, the Mario ref was spot on. You are crushing it Michael, every project, every video. Props!

[@mattbowers5342]

Amazing commission, I dream of finding jobs like this! I used the Rubio oil finish on my first job a couple months ago, I will definitely use it again. Looking forward to the next one!

[@Psychlist1972]

Nice build. The panels on the top were a thoughtful addition.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks! Yeah, I was really pleased with that 😁

[@tarynjones6781]

Beautiful design and ingenious assembly plan!

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you!

[@triciac.5078]

Gorgeous bookcase. Even if they’re not art books, books get heavy. Especially when you can double or triple stack smaller books. I need to flip my shelves soon as they’re slightly sagging.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you!! Yeah I can only imagine what this thing will weigh when the owner fills it up 😳

[@fredyquiroz7654]

Michael! Awesome shelves! This is the first video I’ve watched from you and it’s freaking awesome... Would you do a twin bunk bed when you get the opportunity? I’d like to see how you build those, there’s a lot of videos in KZbin but I’m sure with your design skills it would turn out much better than DIY levels... I appreciate your videos.

[@picoranchdesignbuild7052]

Super clean, nice details throughout, I really like the chamfer on the bottom of the shelves.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks!

[@thomlipiczky9021]

Nice job! Always helpful to see how you handle the logistics of designing and installing large pieces.

[@jonathanking4107]

Brilliant. Excellent workmanship.

[@chm1701]

Nice work, Michael. I was watching Jason’s boat build and having recently listened to you on the Shop Sounds Podcast, I thought I’d swing by and take a look at some of your videos and I’ve decided stick around and sub. I really liked this build and there’s some great tips too. Oh, and when you took the bookcase up the stairs, all I could think about was the Friends episode where Ross kept shouting the word ‘Pivot’ to get the sofa up the stairs. Classic episode! I’m off to watch your patterned plywood videos now. All the best to you. Chris, UK.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks so much Chis!! If it wasn't in a clients house I would've been yelling "PIVOT" the whole time 🤣 Cheers!

[@jackknows6509]

Really nice bookcase. I do like the finish. Thanks for the CZ-J clip!!!

[@Emenblade]

i like how you made these and then upcycled them. waste not want not!

[@TheVineyardFarmhouse]

I’ve been watching your channel for a while now. You have inspired me to start my own . thank you.

[@PokeTheBear773]

Great build. Looks really good, oak always looks snazzy. You mentioned your longest clamps were only 6 feet. Get a pipe fitting so that you can put two pipes together. Then you have very long clamp options.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks! And that's a great idea!!! I can't believe that hasn't occurred to me till now.

[@gnlman]

Awesome build. Nice to see that I am not the only one that has stuff falling in my shop when I am moving projects around. LOL

[@andrhamm]

Wow that was a really cool use for the Shaper!

[@MichaelAlm]

Yeah! It worked like a charm

[@chrisbabbitt4202]

Very nice looking bookcase.

[@howski98]

Absolutely beautiful work

[@samuelsilva8364]

Catherine Zeta Jooooones, she dips beneath lasers, oh oh ooooh!

[@ericplautz3622]

This is ah-mazing work. I love what you build and you're the only maker i've purchased a shirt from. Keep rocking it!!

[@MichaelAlm]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@eponymousIme]

At 12:02 you talk about "this trick" you're using -- but I don't now what it is. Can you please explain? What are you holding?

[@WiltonSilveira]

Saudações. Meus cumprimentos pelo magnífico trabalho e planejamento! Para quem não conhece nada ou pouco, os detalhes são inspiradores!

[@4431charlie]

wow, what a beautiful job

[@singlecatt]

Those are absolutely awesome. You did a beautiful job. Kinda wishing they were mine. Lol

[@HowIDoThingsDIY]

Wow, that's beautiful. Great work.

[@shadowlovell5109]

Thank you Wyrmwood

[@mikerettingerps]

That is one awesome bookcase.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks Mike!

[@ctenos45069]

Very nice build, an excellent job with the video. I picked up a couple of good tips with this one.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you! Glad to hear it 😁

[@IgorKhrapov_83]

Thanks for Mario-sound. 😁

[@triplex86]

Wow, that looked so good

[@jalechavez6042]

Bien hecho My Friend..!! Ji ji ji ji...Saludossss

[@suearmstrong3404]

That is incredibly beautiful!

[@joelombrdo]

Hi. I like your videos. Maybe you can tell me or tell me how to figure this out. If i want to build a bookcase with shelves 12 inches wide and these shelves will be built out of 3/4 inch solid maple and reinforced with a 1 and 3/4 inch lip, how long can the shelf be and not sag under the weight of heavy books.

[@johnwayne2103]

DUDE that bookcase is the shiznit!

[@biglav6048]

Always enjoy your videos and style!

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you!

[@FearsomeWarrior]

When he said his client was moving these it reminded me a full height bookshelf I saw in a fancier home decor store. It had hinges in all four corners and the sides had inward hinges in the middle. Once you took out the shelves, sawtooth system, you could fold and flatten the bookshelf. Took me a few minutes to figure out what the hinges did. At first I wanted to buy it because it had a cool modern antique most modern mission mix up with chunky four corners with long tapers. Then I saw it was nearly $3,000. Are the squares on the side of the miter saw covered somewhere?

[@MichaelAlm]

Oh that’s cool! I think I got the design for the squares from an old Matthias Wandel video 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@GeorgeTheWoodWorker]

When assembling the carcasses why didn't you just use screws to "clamp" the glueup? Awesome work!

[@fred0c]

I watched all 26 min, lol. Great job.

[@paulpardee]

Man, that looks REALLY good!

[@twobitwoodworker]

Not sure if you know or not (the comment from the video sounded like not) but you have more than a 15 minute pot life with Rubio Monocoat. I want to say it's like an hour or two, it's on the can at any rate. You just have 15 minutes to get it off the wood once you put it on the wood though.

[@MichaelAlm]

Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m still learning the finish for sure

[@jeremyspecce]

I came to say the same thing. I just used it for the first time myself last week so I read the instructions like 50 times because it’s so expensive. You have about 5 to 6 hours “pot life” once it’s mixed to use it, as Two Bit said, you have 15 minutes to wipe it off so they recommend not trying to cover too large of an area or it will get gummy. In addition, I did mix it carefully, myself but apparently you can use it with NO hardener if you want, so I guess if you err slightly on the side of not enough hardener the only ill effect would be slower cure time. If you’re a little heavy on hardener I’m not sure what trouble it would cause, maybe just reduced working time but don’t me to that.

[@JTWoodworks]

Absolutely beautiful build man! You sure tend to drop of lot of things in the shop 🤭😂

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks dude! Yeah, something about this build... dropping things all over the place 😂

[@wadihkarim4088]

Wow looks amazing! Will have to try Rubio monocoat. Well done.

[@MichaelAlm]

Thank you! Yeah, the Rubio is great!

[@jeremyspecce]

Just tried it for the first time on a live edge maple mantle I made. Make sure you’re sitting down when you see the price, but for the mantle (about 15 square feet of surface) I used 2 TABLE SPOONS!!

[@CheveeDodd]

That turned out awesome! I haven't tried any of the hard wax products yet either. Might need to give that a try;

[@LindaSmith-vq1br]

Love the look and design!

[@BearMaked]

Daaaang, sir! That's a beast. Though I would like to say, I saw no sleeves on that bookcase, so I think the title of your video is misleading.

[@TimelessMerchant]

great video & great craftsmanship!

[@charlesxix]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[@drewfoxworthy1057]

Attractive, clean lines, sturdy. Very nice! You might sling your Trac-Saw hose and cord over your shoulders; works for me..

[@georgepapas7510]

Michael great work, but what I didn't understand is Why to make biscuit joints in places where nothing appears...so much extra work when you could have put screws directly as long as nothing appears in top and bottom...

[@MichaelAlm]

Thanks! The plywood I used is prone to splitting, so the Dominos were a safer and stronger option.

[@robertsmith3518]

My new shed 16x16 is on hold at $35 a sheet for OSB x3/8 @ HD as well as Loz

[@JayTea025]

music with the video is great!

[@The_Farwall]

Does the domino joiner come with something that can also cut appropriately sized dominoes or are they just standard sized and you buy the dominoes?

[@wynandduplessis9166]

What a great bookcase!

[@danielmezajr.3889]

This looks awesome!!

[@inztramental]

Top notch turnout brotha!😁👍

[@albertlombus3918]

Very nice job

[@chofbrighton7014]

Mike, Can you share with me what one would charge for a custom built bookcase of this type?

[@zicarwoodworking]

nice video editing and gorgeou design, like it!

[@jasonwilson8375]

Can I ask what you charged to build that. I am quoting a job to build something almost identical but I'll be building 3 of those and 1 two bay unit. I just want a ballpark idea of what others are charging.